Window balance



y 1952 H. R. DICKINSON ET AL 2,597,459

WINDOW BALANCE Filed April 11, 1949 MVENTQR 3 HENRY R. Dacxmsou MICHAEL N. SwnsaBuT Patented May 20, 1952 WINDOW BALANCE Henry R. Dickinson and Michael N. Swierbut,

Grand Rapids, Mich, Rapids Hardware Company, Grand Rapids, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application April 11, 194:], Serial No. 86,742

(o1. ic 197) 4 Claims.

1 This invention relates to a combined weatherstrip and window balance adapted to be applied to and used in connection with Sliding window sashes. The Weatherstrip excludes in a large measure cold air and other undesired outside weather conditions, and the balance compensates in part at least the weight ofthe sash, so that its manual raising and lowering is easier attained, and the sash remains in any position to which it has been moved.

In connection with the Weatherstrip and sash balance structure, it is very desirable that the tension of the spring which is used in the balance shall be taken care of and adjusted at the fac tory; rather than by the one installing the balance and Weatherstrip at its place of use. Atthe factory the desired tensions of the springs for diiferent weights of window sashes may be accurately fixed, and the uncertainties and inaccuracies of workmen installing the balances are eliminated. This is a very desirable result of our invention and one of the primary objects and purposes of the invention is to provide such pretensioning at the factory and insure that such tensioning is maintained until installation takes place. Such pretensioning of the spring of the balance may be had without the mounting which is used for the window balance being formed as a part of a Weatherstrip, but in practice the structure which is used for mounting the balance is particularly adapted for fashioning into the sash carried part of a Weatherstrip with little additional cost.

An understanding of the invention may be had from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which;

Fig. 1 is a partial vertical section and elevation showing a concealed sash balance installed in connection with a window and window frame, and with which our invention is used.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the Weatherstrip construction on one part of which, that which is attached to a window sash, the sash balance is mounted, and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the holding clip which is applied to the balance at the factory after it has been tensioned, and which insures that the spring tension will be retained until after installation, such clip being then removed and discarded.

Lik reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures of the drawing.

In the illustrated preferred embodiment of our invention, a weather strip member to be applied. one at each vertical side edge of a window sash,

assignors to Grand indicated at i, is formed from a length of flat sheet metal, and between its vertical side edges is shaped with a vertical channel groove 2 which extends the length of a weather stripping, being adapted to be inserted in a groove in the side edge of a window sash. At the upper and lower ends of a channel groove 2, tongues 3 are continued and bent to lie in horizontal planes to the length of the weather strip.

Within the groove or channel 2, lower and upper supporting shelves 4 and 5, each formed from sheet metal, are permanently secured, the lower one a short distance above the lower end of channel 2 and the upper one a short distance below the upper end thereofr The lower supporting shelf 4 has a circular opening through it and the upper supporting shelf 5 a square opening 6.

The concealed window sash balance, indicated as a whole at 1 in Fig. 1, is of well known structure sold in large numbers, having a tubular outside casing with a spiral groove lengthwise thereof, and within it a coiled tensioning spring which may be anchored at its lower end portion to the tubeandat its upper end connected with a ratchet held tensioning device which is operable by pushing down a squared stem 8 which'extends above the upper end of the tube, and turning the stem until the desired tension is reached. Such structure is shown in a prior application filed by Edward H. Brown, Ser. No. 782,306, filed October 27, 1947.

I The sash balance is located between the lower and upper shelves 4 and 5, a pin extending from the lower end of tube 1 through the opening in the lower shelf 4, and the squared stem 8 passing through the squared opening 6 in the upper shelf 5. When thus located in the opening 6 and when the balance is installed so as to hold the tube from turning, except as the window sash is raised and lowered, the tension of the spring within the spiral tube 1 is maintained but can be adjusted by pushing downwardly against the upper end of the stem 8, which in practice will be provided in its upper end portion with a socket to receive a socket wrench tool. When the stem is depressed at the upper'end below the opening 6 it may be turned to adjust the tension of the spring.

Associated with the balance is an operating member 9, also well known, which in practice is secured to the side of the window frame in which the balance is installed, and which has a projection extending into the spiral slot of the tube 1. Thus when the window sash is raised or lowered the tube is automatically rotated about its longitudinal axis to further wind up the spring and increase its tension on lowering the window and unwind the spring and reduce it to its minimum tension when the window is raised. Such minimum tension plus the number of turns that the tube will induce in the spring in a given length of travel of the sash is the tension of the spring which, with our invention, is to be given to it at the factory.

With our invention when the balance has been assembled with the weather stripping l and located in the channel groove 2 thereof, and the spring has been tensioned by turning the stem 8 and then releasing it to lock in the opening 6, the tube 1 is held against rotation and the member 9 put in place at the upper end portion of the tube, partly extending above it. A clip of sheet metal having a vertical leg and a horizontal leg H at right angles thereto is at-'- tached to the member 9 by means of bendable ears [2 at the upper end of the leg II] which are bent to embrace the upwardly extending operating member 9, the leg H having an opening through which the stem 8 passes. When the balance is manufactured and assembled at the factory and at all times prior to installation, if the retaining clip is not used the tube will rotate and the actuating member will move longitudinally thereof, the spring being unwound and the actuating member moved from one end of the track to the other. At the beginning of such movement there will be a slight or limited movement of the actuating member. With the clip attached as in Fig. 3 and with the arm H of the clip between the sides of the channel supporting member such limited rotative movement is prevented and the actuating member remains in its upper position. The parts are therefore held with the spring tensioned' as it is preselected at the factory. When the actuating member is permanently secured to a side of the window frame it can neither turn a limited movement nor traverse the spiral track except in the raising and lowering of the window under which conditions the actuating member remains fixed and the balance moves up and down. The clip is removed at installation and thrown away as it is not required to maintain the spring at its proper tension and the spring will have its proper tension upon installation and will not be dependent upon a tension imparted thereto by the installing workmen.

On reaching its destination where it is to be installed, the weather stripping with the sash balance assembled therewith as described is secured to the window sash l3, the tongues 3 being screw connected at the upper and lower edges of the sash, and the channel at 2 seated in a vertical groove made in a vertical edge of the sash. A cooperating weather strip 14 is connected at the inner side of the adjacent window frame side l5 and the actuating member 9 is screw connected to such side of the frame, the sash balance having its pre-given spring tension given to it at the factory. After the installation is complete the bendable fingers [2 at the upper end of the leg II are unbent and the clip removed and discarded. The balance is thereupon installed with the spring at the predetermined desired tension which it had on leaving the factory.

It is of course apparent that the flanges extending outward from the sides of the channel groove 2 may be eliminated and the balance installed in a channel 2 which forms no part of weather stripping so that the invention is not essentially dependent upon its use with weather stripping. But the additional metal required to convert the channel at 2 into a sash carried member of weather stripping is small and inexpensive, so that the invention lends itself with particular ease to a joining and combining of a weather-strip member as the carrying support for the concealed sash balance.

The structure is of great utility and is of particular advantage in eliminating the uncertainties of spring tensioning of the window balances in the field where installation occurs. Instead, there is a certainty that the proper spring tension for an installation will be had at the factory, and there is avoided reliance upon the field man installing the balance, insofar as the tensioning of the spring in the balance is concerned.

The invention is defined in the appended claims and is to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

We claim:

1. In a window balance an elongated support of a generally channel form, a supporting shelf secured to said support adjacent each end thereof within the channel, an elongated spring actuated window balance having a spiral track lengthwise thereof mounted on and extending between said members, an actuating member adapted to be secured to a window frame having engagement with the spiral track of the balance, and a holding and connecting member detachably attached to said actuating member entering the channel support at one end of said support between its sides and held from movement by engaging the sides of the channel support, thereby holding the actuating member from traversing said track when free from connection to the window frame.

2. A structure as defined in claim 1, said window balance being of the type in which the spring is adjusted as to tension by a manually operable stem extending through one of said supporting members for the balance, said stem being noncircular in cross section, and said supporting member having a complementary opening through which the stem passes, and said detachable holding and connecting member comprising a length of sheet metal, having two arms at right angles to each other, one extending into said channel support between its sides, and the other having means for detachably securing it to said actuating member.

3. In a window balance, an elongated channel support adapted to be located in a groove of a window sash at a vertical side edge thereof, said channel support having means for attachment to a window sash, a supporting shelf across said channel support adjacent each end thereof, one of said shelves having a non-circular opening therethrough and the other a circular opening, an elongated tubular spring actuated spiral track window balance extending between said shelves, said balance having a spring lengthwise of and within it, means for rotatively mounting said balance at one end on one of the shelves with the non-circular stem at the other end of the balance extending through said non-circular opening in the shelf, an actuating member engaging said spiral track at one end thereof, and at the other end extending beyond the adjacent end of the balance adapted to be secured to a window frame, and a detachable clip beyond the adjacent end of the balance having two arms at right angles to each other,,one extending into the channel support and the other located 5 alongside the outer portion of the actuating member and releasably connected therewith.

4. A window balance mounting comprising a vertical elongated support of a generally channel form, a horizontal shelf adjacent but short of each end of the support permanently secured thereto Within the support, one of said shelves having a circular opening therethrough, and the other a non-circular opening therethrough, adapting said support and shelves to mount a spring actuated, spiral track window balance within the channel support and between said shelves, said balance having a spring tensioning member at one end, having a non-circular stem extending through said non-circular opening in one shelf movable to disengage from the shelf, and having an actuating member adapted to engage with said spiral track having a vertically located portion adapted to be secured to a window frame side 20 1 14 and located at the open vertical side of said support, and a holding member for detachable connection to said vertically located portion of said actuating member and having a part extending into said channel support between the sides thereof to hold the actuating member from movement when unattached to a window frame to maintain the balance under preselected spring tension.

HENRY R. DICKINSON. MICHAEL N. SWIERBUT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Tappen Feb. 11, 1947 Number 

